US Edition
Ex-pilot called himself messiah on climate-change mission, day before alleged hijack
GREATER VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, JUL 17 – Cassim claimed climate change motives and was charged with hijacking and terrorism after Norad scrambled fighter jets to intercept the plane, authorities said.
- On Tuesday, Shaheer Cassim allegedly seized control of the Cessna at Victoria International Airport after threatening a flight instructor, triggering Norad to scramble F-15 fighter jets, and ending with a safe landing at Vancouver International Airport.
- In a Monday Facebook post, Shaheer Cassim claimed to be the `messiah sent to save humanity from climate change and usher in an era of world peace`, warned of `abrupt runaway global warming`, and maintained an Arctic climate blog since 2011.
- Diana Banke recalled he brought a dog on the bicycle trek, Cassim worked for KD Air from 2008 to 2010, held a 2012 news conference before a climate awareness trek, and she said so.
- The Prosecution Service of Canada said the hijacking charge carries terrorism implications, Shaheer Cassim made a brief court appearance Wednesday and remains in custody, and under the Criminal Code he could face a life sentence.
- His post titled `Will humans go extinct soon?` underscores his apocalyptic outlook, while the Arctic News blog lists over 30 academic contributors from Canada, the US and the UK, and social media images show his arrest on the north runway at Vancouver International Airport.
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UpstractClimate Jihadi Allegedly Skyjacks Plane After Declaring Global Warming Will Turn ‘Earth into Venus’
Cassim allegedly took control of the small Cessna 172 plane on July 15 from the Vancouver Island area and was apprehended by RCMP officers after landing at YVR, according to police. The incident reportedly led to F-15 fighter jets scrambling to secure the situation before the plane landed, The Canadian Press reported.
Vancouver Airport Hijacking Suspect Called Himself ‘Messenger of Allah’ on Climate Mission
A man arrested for an alleged plane hijacking at the Vancouver International Airport earlier this week took to social media the day before to declare himself a “messenger of Allah” tasked with rescuing humanity from climate change. The RCMP have charged Shaheer Cassim, 39, with one count of hijacking after the incident on July 15 that saw Norad scramble F-15 fighter jets to respond to a Cessna 172 circling at a low altitude in the airspace abov…
Ex-pilot referred to himself messiah on climate-change mission, day before alleged hijack
The day before the suspected hijacking of a light aircraft triggered a security scare at Vancouver's airport this week, former commercial pilot Shaheer Cassim posted on social media that he was a "messenger of Allah" sent to save humanity from climate change.
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